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British newspaper soccer sting costs another coach his job

Investigation led to a second soccer coach getting fired in England on Thursday.

Barnsley assistant head coach Tommy Wright is the latest to lose his job as the result of a British newspaper sting operation. (Jon Buckle / The Associated Press)

By The Associated Press

Thu., Sept. 29, 2016

BARNSLEY, ENGLAND—A British newspaper investigation led to a second soccer coach getting fired in England on Thursday.

Two days after Sam Allardyce lost his job as England manager following an undercover operation by the Daily Telegraph, second-tier club Barnsley fired assistant coach Tommy Wright.

Wright was filmed apparently accepting an envelope which the Telegraph said contained $6,500 from a fake Asian firm to help place players at the northern club. Video footage was released by the newspaper late Wednesday and Wright was immediately suspended by Barnsley.

“After considering Mr. Wright’s response to allegations in today’s Daily Telegraph about breaching (Football Association) rules over player transfers, Mr. Wright was dismissed,” the club said after a meeting with the coach on Thursday.

Barnsley said it was “unaware of such matters or involved in any wrongdoing.”

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The English Football Association decided to terminate Allardyce’s contract on Tuesday after video showed him appearing to offer advice to fictitious businessmen on how to sidestep an outlawed player transfer practice, and also negotiating a $519,000 public-speaking contract to top up an annual England salary of $4 million.

English soccer is reeling after four days of accusations by the Telegraph following its months-long investigation into alleged wrongdoing in the game.

In Friday’s edition, the newspaper published an article with video of Southampton’s assistant manager, Eric Black, allegedly telling undercover reporters he knew a colleague at a second-tier club who could be persuaded to pass on information “for a couple of grand (thousand pounds)” about players to a fictitious company that wanted to represent footballers.

The Telegraph said Black denied wrongdoing.

Before the article was published, Southampton said it was aware Black would feature in the latest allegation and had requested to be sent details. The club said the Telegraph “declined to share any further information,” and it contacted the FA and the Premier League.

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